Heaven: A History, Second edition [Paperback]

Dr. Colleen McDannell (Author), Bernhard Lang (Author), Colleen McDannell (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0300091079 | ISBN-13: 978-0300091076 | Publication Date: September 1, 2001 | Edition: 2 Sub

What do Christians believe they will experience after a virtuous life? What will an eternity in the hereafter be like? In this copiously illustrated, lively book, Colleen McDannell and Bernhard Lang describe and interpret the ways in which believers - from biblical authors to medieval mystics, from Jesus to present-day religious thinkers - have pictured Heaven, not just in doctrine but also in poetry, art, literature, and popular culture. In so doing, they shed new light on both the private and public dimensions of western culture. This second edition includes a substantial new preface relating the book to changing views of life after death in the new century.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Some angels wear business suits, and some run around stark naked, according to Heaven, a history of Christian ideas and images of the afterlife. Academics Colleen McDannell and Bernhard Lang have organized their history in roughly chronological order, beginning with ancient Jewish ideas about life after death and proceeding through centuries of elite and popular sources: St. Augustine, Emanuel Swedenborg, Paul Tillich, and Hal Lindsey. Two major images of heaven dominate the Christian tradition. One is theocentric ("eternal solitude with God alone"); the other is anthropocentric (believers are reunited with friends and family.) And yet, these two very different ideas often coexist in the same person's mind. "There is a world of difference between what intellectuals state (and publish) as their considered opinion, and what they express in unguarded moments," the authors note. Heaven can't solve any mysteries about what happens after we die, but it does persuasively demonstrate that "the ways in which people imagine heaven tell us how they understand themselves, their families, their society, and their God." --Michael Joseph Gross

From Library Journal

This volume offers a history of interpretations of heaven from a religious standpoint and from the worlds of art, literature, pop culture, and more, with illustrations. This second edition of the 1988 original offers a new preface that updates the study. For all religion collections.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press; 2 Sub edition (September 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300091079
• ISBN-13: 978-0300091076
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #836,124 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Your pick of post-mortal destinations., October 4, 2000

By 

DJ Rix (NJ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Heaven: A History (Paperback)

"Heaven: A History" is an excellent account of the varied & always-changing beliefs of Christian afterlife. Written in a clear language with fine scholarhip by scholars.

Essentially chronological, Chapter One is titled "The Dawn of Heaven" & discusses Semite & Hellenistic Jewish beliefs as they existed at the time of Jesus. The final Chapter 10, "Heaven in Modern Christianity." looks at fundamentalist, Mormon, Catholic, liberal, existentialist & mainstream conceptions. The book ends with a short, thoughtful essay of summation & 40 pages of fine print notes.

Other chapters are: Jesus & the Christian Promise; Irenaeus & Augustine on our Heavenly Bodies; Medieval Promises; The Pleasures of Renaissance Paradise; God at the Center: Protestant & Catholic Reformers; Swedenborg & the Emergence of Modern Heaven; Love in the Heavenly Realm; Eternal Motion: Progress in the Other World.

Especially intriguing is how our concepts of heaven reflect our ideals & hopes in Earthly life. Christian Heaven is hardly static. It has something for everyone, from estatic, egoless communion with the Divine Spirit, to endless angelic songs of praise, to the middle class family unit in a perfected state. & yes, Grandpa sitting on a cloud watching over us.

Some denominations make claims as to the definitive knowledge of our post-mortal destination. Others leave it up to the believers. The point is, dying is the most intimate experience we will ever know, so we seek reassurance where & how we can, with scripture, faith, reason & tradition; from the Bible, from Dante's poetry, from Paul Tillich's theology; from Jack Chick's cartoons. Indeed, here is one House with many mansions.

The writing in this book is easily 5 stars. Knocked down to 4 for lack of a good bibliography or color illustration. The black & whites are excellent choices.

4.0 out of 5 stars Great textbook!, August 23, 2011

By 

CassJoy - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Heaven: A History, Second edition (Paperback)

This book, though required reading, helped me a lot with my History of Christian Afterlife class. Not really something I'd buy just for the fun of it, but I did learn a lot when I had to read it and use it for my papers in class.

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A different look at heaven, April 20, 2009

By 

No name please - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Heaven: A History, Second edition (Paperback)

A great book. I especially enjoy their take on the Mormon heaven. It is a fascinating point-of-view that satisfies the theological arguments as well as the parishioners needs.